The subject matter herein relates generally to an electrical connector having signal contacts and associated ground shields.
Some electrical connector systems utilize receptacle and header connectors to interconnect two circuit boards, such as a motherboard and daughtercard. When the connectors are mated, the circuit boards may be arranged parallel to one another. Such connector systems can be complex and difficult to manufacture. The connectors can have ground shields that are designed to shield signal contacts from other signal contacts within the connectors. The ground shields may be electrically commoned at the circuit boards, but a lack of commoning of the ground shields in a region between the circuit boards reduces the shielding effectiveness and therefore inhibits electrical performance of the connector system. For example, gaps between adjacent ground shields within the connectors may allow electrical resonance that interferes with signal transmission, thus reducing signal integrity. Such electrical interference is typically exacerbated by increasing signal transmission speeds through the connector assembly.
A need remains for an electrical connector having enhanced ground shielding that improves electrical performance.